Grace Burchell said since March, more than half the chickens and ducks she raises in a small farm at her home have been stolen.

"In March, we started to notice some pullets, some young chickens, disappearing, and then we came in one night when they were all roosted up, and we noticed all these empty roosting spaces, and that's when one says to themselves, 'Where are all my chickens?'" Burchell said.

She said she believes someone broke into her chicken coops three times. She said it appears more than 50 have been taken, with 15 gone in the past week.

Burchell said she's pretty sure it wasn't a fox or other small predator because there were no feathers or other parts left behind.

"Two-legged predators will come in and out with no evidence they've even been there, except for leaving the poultry door open," she said.

The birds are now all in one pen with padlocks on the doors.

Burchell said it's notable that only her most valuable birds are missing, the ones that are just starting to lay eggs. She said the chickens can be worth up to $20 apiece, while the ducks are worth more.

She said her birds are just a side business, but the cost is adding up.

"We have a lot of time and money invested in our stock, and it would be nice just to see this end," she said.

Burchell urged other local poultry farmers to count their birds and report whether any are missing to local police.